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Articulating Islam in the 21st CenturyThu, 05 Sep 2019 18:45:30 +0000en-GB
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1 147071544The last of his sons but the first to follow. Who was Abdullah Morsi?https://www.islam21c.com/politics/africa/the-last-of-his-sons-but-the-first-to-follow-who-was-abdullah-morsi/
https://www.islam21c.com/politics/africa/the-last-of-his-sons-but-the-first-to-follow-who-was-abdullah-morsi/#respondThu, 05 Sep 2019 18:38:02 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=48825“My heart was buried the day you were buried, my father. By Allāh, my heart will not be cured, nor will my broken soul be mended, nor will my sadness depart until I join you on your path and way. I no longer desire this life.”

]]>On the 4th of September, the sad news emerged that Abdullah Morsi, the son of late President Mohammed Morsi (raḥimahu Allāh), died of a ‘sudden’ heart attack. Abdullah Morsi, 24, returned to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) after a life full of arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and the enduring pain of losing his father.

The young, brave man was the youngest of Morsi’s five children. He was known as his family’s spokesperson and the unyielding supporter of his father’s legitimacy until his very last days.

According to Anadolu Agency, Morsi’s second son, Ahmed, reported that his brother Abdullah was driving his car when he suddenly had spasms. After his immediate hospitalisation, doctors at the Al Waha Hospital in Giza, south of Cairo, failed to restart his heart, and Allāh’s decree was faster.

The pain is unfathomable. Abdullah Morsi was a very nice person on so many levels. To die of a heart attack in his mid twenties is unfathomable. The injustice that Morsi’s family is enduring is unfathomable. He was so sweet and kind! RIP Abdullah!

After years of subjugation, Abdullah’s death will no doubt add another layer of pain to a family frequenting jails, graveyards, and court hearings. After his silent assassination through torture and medical neglect, the deposed President Mohammad Morsi died on the 17th of June 2019.

In reaction to the news, Moataz Matar, an Egyptian revolutionary journalist from the Al-Sharq television channel, said:

“The youngest of Morsi’s sons has died. May Allāh accept him amongst the righteous and firmly tie the heart of his mother, siblings, and loved ones. ‘Be patient, family of Morsi, the appointment is Paradise.’ And we say nothing except what pleases Allāh: ‘to Him we belong and to Him we shall return.’”[1]

The family’s spokesperson

Abdullah was renowned as his family’s ‘spokesperson’ and advocate of their just cause. His pen would always defiantly challenge the despotic regime, and he would never fail to represent his father, even during his time in secret detention. Abdullah wrote ‘The wonders we saw during our father’s Janazah’, published on Islam21c on the 25th of June, 2019, sourced from one of his several brave social media posts.[2] Abdullah said:

“My heart was buried the day you were buried, my father. By Allāh, my heart will not be cured, nor will my broken soul be mended, nor will my sadness depart until I join you on your path and way. I no longer desire this life.”[3]

Abdullah often frequented Egypt’s jails since his father was illegally overthrown and then detained under the all-too-common sham accusations of the coup’s critics. Abdullah had even been accused and later acquitted of drug abuse, a case involving allegations that legal observers said were fabricated.

As an outspoken critic of the Egyptian regime, Abdullah had been imprisoned on several occasions in the past few years. In 2014, Abdullah was sentenced to one year in jail, before being released in 2015. He was then arrested again in 2018, this time for ironically ‘spreading false news and statements’. Later in 2018, he was arrested for a number of accusations, including ‘being a member of a terrorist organisation and inciting towards violence’, in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Amongst President Morsi’s sons, Abdullah became the most vocal critic of Egypt’s illegal authorities after the arrest of his eldest brother, Osama Morsi. Abdullah would irrevocably refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the coup regime by defiantly affirming the presidential legitimacy of his father, raḥimahu Allāhu.

In response to the news, Abdullah al-Mullah, a prominent Qatari political activist and business man, tweeted:

“Just two months ago he was supplicating to be gathered with his father in Jannah and on his path. And today Allāh takes him. We ask Allāh to answer his supplication and to gather him with his father in the Highest Firdous, with the prophets, truthful ones, martyrs, and the righteous.”[4]

A pained but patient family

After the 2011-2012 Egyptian parliamentary and presidential elections, millions of Egyptians anticipated that their nation would embark on a new democratic journey of recovery, reform, and freedom from decades of absolutism. However, their expectations were almost immediately trumped by Egypt’s military deep-state augmented by its neighbouring petrol-rich monarchies.

Morsi’s family, in particular, went from one trial to the next. President Morsi’s enduring and patient wife, Najlaa Mahmoud, had rejected the title of ‘First Lady’, instead preferring to be called ‘First Servant’ or ‘Umm Ahmed’. Her patience and perseverance were evident through her actions and those of her children. In early August 2019, Abdullah Morsi tweeted about his mother:

“She taught me and brought me up upon certainty that this world is a place of fatigue and tribulation for the sake of the hereafter, the home of reward, eternity, and bliss. May Allāhbe pleased with you, please you, strengthen you, and preserve you, mother. May He bless your life and your health and never allow us to see any evil touch you.” [5]

Najlaa Mahmoud and her five children would become the target of much of Egypt’s defamatory media machine. Mahmoud, her four sons, and her daughter would later be banned from visiting Morsi. During his six-year-long torturous detention, his family saw him only twice. The first time was during his detention in Turra Prison in 2017, and the second in September 2018, not knowing then that it would be their last visit.

In reaction to the news, Ahmed al-Baqry, the ex-Vice President of the Student Union of Egypt, said:

“May Allāh strengthen your heart, dear mother. You lost your husband and youngest son in less than three months. Your eldest has been detained for three years … your family have endured what most cannot.”[6]

Abdullah and his father have now passed whilst Osama, the eldest of President Morsi’s sons, has remained trapped in Egypt’s cells since December 2016. It is not expected that he will be allowed to bid farewell to, nor pray the Janāzah over, his deceased brother, just as he was prevented from seeing his father for the entirety of his time in jail.

With the passing of Abdullah, many are expecting the voice of Morsi’s family to be completely silenced. With the passing of their spokesperson, the formidable family moves into a new phase of tribulation, one with dependence on Allāh and patience awaiting His promise. Either a near victory they are bound to see, or if not, in shā Allāh, an everlasting abode in the presence of Allāh.

“Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, “When is the help of Allāh?” Unquestionably, the help of Allāh is near.”[7]

May Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) have mercy on Abdullah Morsi, accept him as a martyr, shower him with His mercy, and gather him with his father in the highest abode in Jannat al-Firdous. Āmīn.

“Perhaps his Lord, if he divorced you all, would give him in your place better wives than yourselves, submitting, believing, devoutly obedient, repentant, worshipping and inclined to fasting; be they previously married or virgins.”

Lesson 11: Qualities of a perfect spouse

Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) uses the context of this Sūrah as an opportunity to advise all wives of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), warning them that if they are not obedient and loyal towards him, they will be replaced with wives that are better, the attributes of which are then described:

1) ‘Muslimātin, Mu’minātin’

They will be better Muslimahs and better in their Īmān (Mu’mināt).

A Muslim is somebody who submits himself to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), whereas a Mu’min is somebody who has complete faith in Him. Thus, being a better Muslim will manifest in our actions – in our mindfulness towards the obligations of a Muslim – such as Ṣalāh, Zakāh, and in other voluntary actions, such as our keenness to fast and spend in charity. A better Mu’min is someone who is stronger in their īmān in Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), the angels, His revealed books and His messengers, the Day of Reckoning, and everything He decrees.

2) ‘Qānitātin’

They will be better in ‘Qunūt’.

‘Qunūt’ means subservience and obedience to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā): thus, a Qānitah is a woman who is better at following the commands of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) and abstaining from His prohibitions.

‘Tā’ibātin’

They will be better in their Tawbah (repentance), meaning they are quick to do it and do so with sincerity.

‘ʿAbidātin’

They will be better in their worship and will worship Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) a lot.

‘Sā’ihātin’

Quite literally, ‘Sā’ihāt’ describes women who fast more frequently. However, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) already stated that they will be better in worship, so why does he highlight fasting in particular? This manifests as a sign of a better wife (or husband) because when we fast, our desires diminish. Hence, those who fast more will have greater control over their worldly desires and material temptations.

When Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) describes the qualities of the perfect spouse, he primarily refers to worship-based attributes and does not mention other Islamic personality traits, such as patience and good manners, because these are manifestations of the devotional attributes which He has listed for us.

Finally, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) gives two categories of women who can possess these qualities: Thayyibāt (previously married) and Abkārā (virgins). In other words: anyone. Perhaps, it is one of the most important lessons we need to hear. There is sometimes a social stigma attached to marrying divorced or widowed women in many cultures. Yet, other than ʿĀ’ishah, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), who was the best of men to walk on this Earth, married only widowed or divorced women. So, who are we to reject women today based purely on the fact that they were previously married? Even in this Āyah, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) mentions the previously married before mentioning the virgins.

To conclude, although this Āyah was a warning to the Mothers of the Believers, it is actually a means of honouring them, by revealing that they truly were the best of their time. Had they not been, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) would have replaced them with better wives, and of course, this never happened.

“O, believers! Save yourselves and your families from a fire, whose fuel is men and stones; upon it are fierce and mighty angels who never disobey Allāh’s command and who promptly do what they are commanded to do.”

Lesson 12: Save yourself from the fire

Allāh is ordering us to save ourselves from the fire with the words “save yourselves” by making a barrier of protection between yourself and the fire, as Ibn ʿAtiyyah mentions in his commentary. Zamakhshari explains this further, by saying that we should protect ourselves by showing obedience to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) and staying away from His disobedience.

Lesson 13: Save your families from the fire

Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) commands us further:

وَأَهْلِيكُمْ

“And your families…”

As Ibn ʿAtiyyah advised, “Save your family through advice, counsel and encouragement of showing obedience towards Allāh”. This instruction is primarily aimed at the husband as the leader of the household, and then to the wife since the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

“Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler of the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of his household and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s house and children and is responsible for her flock.”[1]

On the day of judgement, man will be questioned with regards to his family, and whether he had encouraged them to fulfil their obligations to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). Despite all the duties of a parent, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) mentions no other responsibility towards their children except saving them from the fire. A practical tip is to ensure that we, firstly, meet our own obligations, allowing us to lead by example. Thereafter, we can hold our families to account to the same standard we set for ourselves.

A summary of action points we can thus derive are the following:

Our number one priority for our children should be to raise them as righteous Muslims.

Children will mirror the behaviour of their parents, so we should strive to lead by a good

The command to save our families from the fire necessitates that we spend adequate time with them, to show love, affection, and deliver the necessary Tarbiyah (nurturing/upbringing) for them to become righteous.

This message is amplified further as Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) goes on to describe the fire, which instils a sense of fear.

“A fire, whose fuel is men and stones”.

According to Ibn ʿAbbās, this is the most intense fire in Jahannam, which causes distress knowing that it is fuelled by the flesh and bones of human beings and stones. If this description wasn’t enough, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) then goes on to describe the torturers:

“Upon it are angels” that have been appointed to torture its inhabitants; the word upon signifies a sense of no escape.

“Fierce”; the way Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has created them is in a form that lacks compassion and mercy.

As humans, we may see someone in pain and out of our inward compassion, offer some form of help or assistance. This inward feeling is absent in these angels: as Ibn ʿAtiyyah described, “Ghilāẓ refers to their hearts being insensitive and harsh”, so as they inflict pain, they are left feeling unnerved.

“Mighty” refers to them being brutal and severe in the way that they punish and torture people.

Ibn ʿAtiyyah mentioned that shiddah refers to their brute-strength, and that they were created by the anger of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā).

“[They] never disobey Allāh’s command, and who promptly do what they are commanded to do.”

One would question: if they never disobey Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), wouldn’t that by default imply that they would carry out what they are ordered? As Zamakhshari explains, the first part means that they wholeheartedly accept the orders and fully intend to carry them out, whilst the second means that they go ahead and fulfil their intention. There is a subtle meaning here that amplifies the nature of these angels:

Although the angel may not refuse an order, it may not have the competency to carry out the action. Therefore, we know for sure that the angels have the competency to punish and torture.

An angel may have the competency to carry out the action, but compassion may hold them back from executing the command. Thus, the fact that they “do what they are commanded to do” shows that they lack compassion in the absolute sense.

In conclusion, the description of the fire, that follows the command to save our children from it, shows that Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) emphasises parents to have a serious responsibility with regards to their children, and that the raising of our children needs to be built on a firm resolve to save them from the fire. May Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) protect us all and guide us to indeed protect ourselves and our children. Āmīn.

]]>Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt, chapter 49 of the Qur’ān, was one of the last bits of revelation that Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) gave to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) when his mission had almost come to an end. The entire Arabian Peninsula had embraced Islām, whilst others were flooding into Madina to be part of the city of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam). Amidst these happenings, Sūrat al-Hujurāt was revealed, which laid down the moral and social norms that are to be upheld in any given Islamic society.

I draw to your attention to one of the many miraculous verses from it, one where Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) addresses the companions of Prophet(sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), with us in mind as well. At a time when so many complain of the phenomena of practicing Islām, without the passion they wish to have for it, such verses could not be more relevant.

“And know that among you is the Messenger of Allāh. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allāh has made faith beloved to you and has beautified it in your hearts; and has made disliked to you, the rejection of faith, defiance, and disobedience. Those are the rightly guided ones.”[1]

Let us start our journey with a brief sentence by sentence explanation:

The verse begins:“And know that among you is the Messenger of Allāh…”

In other words, realise – O companions – that in your midst is the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), so realise how gifted you are to be nominated from all of humanity to be his contemporaries. Hence, honour him, be well-mannered towards him, obey him, and place his opinions before yours, for he is more aware of what benefits you than you are, and is more concerned about your wellbeing than you are about your own selves.

The verse continues: “If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty…”

In other words, had he accepted the suggestions which you make to him, things would actually end up much harder for you and the outcome would be one of fatigue and inability, as Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) said in another verse:

“But if the Truth had followed their inclinations, the Heavens and the Earth and whoever is in them would have been ruined. Rather, We have brought them their message, but they – from their message – are turning away.”[2]

Although your opinions may seem to offer an easier solution, had the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) acted upon them, you would have realised that your knowledge is deficient, and your insight is lacking in comparison to revelation. Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) reinforces this in another verse:

“…for it may be that you dislike a thing and Allāh brings through it a great deal of good.”[3]

The heart-melting verses continue: “…but Allāh has made faith beloved to you, and has beautified it in your hearts…”

In other words, the reason why you find it within you, O companions, to obey the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in even those matters that contradict what you may feel is best is that Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has made faith beloved to you and has beautified it in your hearts. Furthermore, this love that has been placed within you is purely a gift from Him – “Allāh has made faith beloved to you” – one that you had no say in at all. Hence, realise just how indebted you are to Him, that He has made your hearts’ disposition upon the love of īmān.

But what is the difference between “Allāh has made faith beloved to you” and “has beautified it in your hearts”? Is this mere repetition, or is there more to it?

One may love a matter due to its outcome, but as for the process, he dislikes it. An ailing person, for example, may queue up for hours for a medicine. The medicine may also be very bitter, however, despite the annoyance of waiting and the bitterness of the medicine, he still takes it because he loves the outcome – health and well-being – even though the process is disliked.

Hence, when Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) told the companions that He had made faith beloved to them and had beautified it in their hearts, it means that they were made to love both the outcome of īmān and the process of being a believer. They loved to give, to pray, to wear the full ḥijāb, to worship Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā).

The verses continue:“…and has made disliked to you, the rejection of faith, defiance, and disobedience.”

This ordering is with respect to severity; the rejection of faith is at the top of the list, then it moves down to defiance, which can be interpreted as major sins, and then disobedience, which can be interpreted as minor sins.[4]

Therefore Allāh’s (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) favour upon the companions wasn’t limited to things he made beloved to them, but things that He made disliked to them as well. The perfection of Allāh’s gift upon them had to include both. According to Him, this is the meaning of success; when one’s heart becomes home to both love for īmānand loss of interest in all that contradicts it. Thus, the verse is concluded with: “Those are the rightly guided ones”.

With this basic understanding, we are now ready to extract some of the medicine found within these verses and apply them to the ailments we see today in our ummah.

1. The companions are the greatest of humanity after the prophets.

Should we quote Sunni-sourced prophetic narrations about the station of the companions to Muslims who speak ill of them, they may not accept it as a source of legislation. They cannot do this, however, when quoting the Qur’ān. As we read above, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) said to them: “And know that among you is the Messenger of Allāh…”

From all of humanity, “you”—O companions—were nominated to be the hosts of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

As we read above, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) said to them: “but Allāh has made faithbeloved to you, and has beautified it in your hearts, and has made disliked to you, the rejection of faith, defiance and disobedience. Those are the rightly guided ones”

In fact, no generation of people were ever praised in the Qur’ān like the companions were.

The very first to be addressed by these verses, and the first to recite them were the companions; hence, those who still harbour ill feelings towards the companions are either to concede that they have an issue with the Qur’ān, or they are to humbly reconsider their views, and to love them as Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) loved them.

2. To what extent can we rely on following our instincts?

To what extent does man know what is best for him? In the verse that we recited above, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) said to the companions: “And know that among you is the Messenger of Allāh. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty…”

In other words, had the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) obeyed you in acting upon what you deem is best, you would have ended up fatiguing and failing. Focus on who is being addressed; the companions, the likes of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhum) – these are the most righteous of people and the purest in intention.

Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has instructed certain matters, but man, by his nature, has his own preferences, thinking that things will be easier and that outcomes will be better. For example, at times, the correct Islamic ḥijāb is compromised in order ‘to help with marriage prospects’. Interest, alcohol, or drugs-based dealings are used ‘in order to secure the future of the family’. Sinful evenings and weekends out are not politely turned down because ‘networking depends upon it’. Weddings are planned in ways that devastate hereafters in terms of what is displayed, served, and played because ‘it is only one night, and imagine what people will say’!

These are our equations. We want what is easier and best, but because we challenge revelation, the outcome is always the stark opposite: inner darkness, misery and loss. The Quranic equation is so different; “If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty…”

In short, be confident in the revelation. Station yourself upon what is right and resist the whisperings of those who encourage you otherwise. Repent when slipping, and with time, you will see that it is the following of revelation that brings rest, not otherwise.

3. What are the signs of success?

You are not an average individual. You are a Muslim who exerts an unusual amount of time, effort, money, and sweat in order to attain a particular goal; hence, it is only natural that you will want signs that the path you are treading is the correct one. Are there such signs? Yes, and the verses above have given us such a sign.

“Allāh has made faith beloved to you, and has beautified it in your hearts, and has made disliked to you, the rejection of faith, defiance, and disobedience. Those are the rightly guided ones.”

This is a sign of your success in Allāh’s Eyes – a sign that you are where He wants you to be. You love Islām. You love the experience. You genuinely enjoy worshipping Him, as “those are the guided ones.”

“There are three characteristics, whoever attains them will taste the sweetness of īmān: when Allāh and His Messenger become dearer to him than everyone else; when he loves a person and loves him only for the sake of Allāh; and when he hates to return to disbelief after Allāh has saved him from it, the same way he would hate to be thrown into fire.”[8]

For this very reason, when Abū Sufyān (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), who was still a Pagan at the time, was asked by Heraclius, the Roman Emperor, whether any of the companions of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) had left Islām after embracing it, he replied, “No.”

Heraclius, then, said:

وَكَذَلِكَ الْإِيمَانُ حِينَ تُخَالِطُ بَشَاشَتُهُ الْقُلُوبَ

“This is the sign of true īmān when its delight mixes with a person’s heart.”[9]

Similarly, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) spoke about the seven categories of people who will be shaded by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) on the Day of Reckoning, when there will be no shade but His, and quoted one of the seven as being:

Why is his heart attached to the mosque? It is because Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has made īmān beloved to him and has beautified it within his heart. Thus, in the house of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), he finds the meaning of rest as he bows, prostrates, recites Qur’ān or even falls asleep. These are signs of success: to live īmān and to love the experience involved in being a believer, even if someone laughs at you or makes you feel weird.

“Did the companions think that they were going to have the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) all to themselves? By Allāh, I will vigorously compete against them so that they know that people of determination came after them.” [15]

Consider ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Abī Rawwād who would pass his hand over his bed, saying this before resuming prayer:

When the sweetness of īmān is experienced, no longer is ṣalāh seen as a chore but rather a meeting that you yearn for. Never again is the correct Islamic ḥijāb seen as shackles, but rather as a pleasure that you cannot do without, and no longer is Ramaḍān viewed as suffering, but instead, as a pleasurable period of sacrifice for He who deserves your life, and the motto of such a person becomes:

إذا عرف الآمر سهلت الأوامر

“When the instructor is recognised, the instructions become easier.”

Writing about this is not sufficient. It really has to be felt on a first hand basis. It is much like a person who opens a shop, and on the very first day, he brings home a profit of £10,000; you can be quite sure that he will not be late for work the next day, but will arrive even earlier and finish even later. Yes, he has tasted the joy of success on a first hand basis and so he amplifies his efforts willingly and lovingly. If, however, he had failed to sell anything during his initial weeks, it will usually be the start of laziness and excuses for absence.

Similarly, it is difficult for us to proceed as committed Muslims if the sweetness of īmān is yet to be experienced, whilst we see the colossal efforts of those who have tasted it. Īmān is truly an unexplainable source of power.

One of our predecessors said:

مساكين أهل الدنيا، خرجوا منها وما ذاقوا أطيب ما فيها

“How pitiful is the state of the people of dunyā. They left this world without tasting the sweetest thing that it has to offer.”

With that, we discover the secret behind the relentless chase for paradise that some Muslims exhibit: her ability to wear the full ḥijāb despite the scorching heat or mockery of people; his ability to give in charity fearlessly, her ability to interrupt her sleep at night to bow and prostrate; his willingness to uphold family ties with those who mistreat him; her strength to fast consistently throughout the year; and his ability to even sacrifice his life for the causes of justice if need be.

Īmān was tasted.

The “love of īmān” and the “beautifying” of it within one’s heart is only one part of the blessing. The other component is when its opposites – “disbelief, defiance, and disobedience” – are evicted from their interests. There is no other god that appeals to them. There is no alternative lifestyle that fascinates them. There is no other dress that she aspires for. They are not just ‘restraining’ themselves from the Godless lifestyle, but rather, their hearts have zero aspirations for it in the first place.

They are so obsessed with their way of life that it appears in their discourse and their very choice of words when presenting Islām. It is this dignified presentation of Islām that, today, is arguably lacking.

If it is a context of socialism, our narrative is limited to how Islām is compatible.

If it is one of capitalism, our narrative is limited to how Islām is compatible.

If it is one of feminism, our narrative is limited to how Islām is compatible.

Whilst those who peddle these narratives may mean well, and whilst there may be truth in much of what they say, there is an underlying issue; we are putting Islām on the back foot and dwarfing it from what Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) intended it to be.

As for those who have had faith “made beloved to them” and “beautified within their hearts”, their narrative is not limited to the discussion of compatibility with system X or “ism”-Y because they are so possessed by Islām – seeing it as a solution to the ills of life – and not merely a mirror reflection of people’s ever-changing ideas of “the good life”.

One whose heart has been made to love īmān and has had it beautified within him cannot see anything other than it. The glow of its light is so strong, its meadows are so green, and its airs are so pure that one’s heart finds no space for anything else.

Labīd b. Rabīʿah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) is the name of a companion who was known for his poetry. When he embraced Islām, he was requested to recite some of his works.

In conclusion, this is undoubtedly a position that every Muslim craves to attain – to become absorbed in īmān until it becomes the life of one’s heart, aspiring absolutely nothing beyond it. So, ask Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) for it and cry your eyes out in desperation for it as well. After all, this is precisely what Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) did.

After the battle of Uhud had ended, a day that was one of the toughest in the lives of Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and his companions, he said to them:

استووا حتى أُثني على ربي -عز وجل

“Stand in a line so that I may praise my Lord.”

They stood behind him in rows, and part of what he said during his duʿā’ was:

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/he-made-islam-beloved-to-you/feed/147544Advice to Youth in the Public Eyehttps://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/advice-to-youth-in-the-public-eye/
https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/advice-to-youth-in-the-public-eye/#respondSun, 11 Aug 2019 14:34:48 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=47471Too many young and intelligent people are pushed into the public eye before their ideas can fully ripen...

]]>With the rise of social media it is easier than ever to become an overnight sensation and to have crowds of people following you and imitating your ideas and actions. This poses a particular challenge to the youth who are far more connected, far more tech-savvy, but above all, often very premature in understanding themselves, their ideals and also their world view. Recent revelations around young social media sensations, as well as incidents over the past few years of young Muslims who have built online personas, got me thinking. Is it better for the youth to err on the side of caution in relation to the public eye? And if so, to what extent?

When it comes to public platforms, I think we always need to try and think about it in as many paradigms as possible. Of course, with the root of all our paradigms being the pleasure of Allāh and service to Islām. From there we need to try and consider it on as many levels that we can think of, be it personal, social, communal and at times also global. Within each of those levels there exist layers which we also need to consider and explore, in particular having ukhrawi (hereafter-centric) and dunyawi (worldly) perspectives and thought processes being put into it.

Don’t rush tarbiya

The first point I think young people need to start off with is the realisation that as young adults we still are in the formative years of our learning and development. We need to appreciate that at the early stages of our lives most (if not all of us) are still quite ill-informed not just about Islām, but often about ourselves and our own life trajectories. When young people voluntarily put themselves in circumstances that require them by necessity to articulate ideas, thoughts, stances that are wholesome, they often find themselves in big trouble later on. Mainly due to the fact that once they’ve said something and publicly been forced (or even forced themselves) to take a stance on something, whilst being half-informed or with underdeveloped foundations, those early problematic ideas often ossify prematurely or at the very least become a significant factor of bias in a person’s thinking and worldview whether or not they realise it. Often these things occur because individuals simply haven’t had the time and experience to gain these foundations and mindsets.

There are too many young and intelligent people out there who have not allowed their ideas to ripen because they allowed for circumstances to dictate the trajectories of their biases and opinions. It usually starts with a small platform and no experience, and then it becomes a trend of one-sided discussion that are dictated by that first experience in a way that’s damaging in the long run. As young people we need to take full advantage of the space and lack of noise we have around us while we can. We need to spend our formative years taking advantage of the space that we are afforded (and that we take for granted) to properly formulate our ideas with deep thought and thorough consultation and nuance.

We’ve seen this formula far too often within our community, with people who were raised far too quickly, being compelled to live to a particular standard which they themselves hadn’t settled into yet.

Another thing is often when young people take these opportunities, to discuss topics and ideas where the issues themselves aren’t well defined or are by nature speculative, the youth often find themselves saying things they later consider to be quite immature and in the case of many young people, just exposing things about themselves and others that just shouldn’t be said publicly; generally doing more damage than good.

At the end of the day being in the public eye really boils down to the development of the individual and the nature of the opportunity before them. Is it the next natural organic step in their nurtured development according to a thought-out vision or objectives? Or reacting to a sudden imperative, which could severely hamper a person’s natural growth by forcing a hasty rise instead?

Curse of the one-man show

Then there is of course the issue of social support which really revolves around who a person has around them and the impact they are having on them. Often, very few people these days have a solid support network of several brothers and sisters who are of various ages and experiences all looking after the individual making sure their īmān is protected, that their plans are guided and are generally holding the individual to account. Lack of accountability is extremely damaging for a person’s individual growth as it can force a person into a false sense of individual security and make them feel that they are independent of others in their thinking and conceptual standards. It’s a horrible self-fulfilling prophecy that will create one’s downfall, as you never truly allow yourself to be challenged on ideas, so the natural assumption is to assume a level of objectivity in one’s thoughts.

Initially they’re just ideas, but they slowly morph into standards and values and in some cases benchmarks for truth where those who reach this stage without any guidance often lull themselves into a self-proclaimed sense of magnanimity whilst all others are misguided – creating a false sense of security in their own salvation. This is so dangerous, and people sadly destroy their dunya and ākhirah and often take Islām down with them purely because they didn’t have anyone to reign them in when they began to go too far.

Having a network around an individual is vital in any form of leadership this person takes, let alone public roles. This is because a network will be ensuring accountability for a person, the appropriate nurturing and guidance for them, but also help them in any public role they have, be it through shūra (consultation), reminders and in the very messages they are putting out to the community as a whole. Unless an individual has that and has been given the thumbs up by these people who they trust and respect, I would be wary of a young person taking the prerogative to speak on behalf of Islām and Muslims. As one of my teachers likes to say: people flex biceps they don’t have, and when you speak it’s as if you’re speaking on behalf of Allāh so be very careful.

Measured growth

Brothers and sisters who take up leadership or public roles in activism should prioritise direct, grassroots work which should guide them and their own personal development without unnecessarily putting it at risk. The growth of our young people needs to be measured, with calculated risks, timely interventions and with an impact being made in a way which is most pleasing to Allāh, and befitting of people who want to carry the title of Siddīq.

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/advice-to-youth-in-the-public-eye/feed/047471Six Considerations for Every Pilgrimhttps://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/six-considerations-for-every-pilgrim/
https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/six-considerations-for-every-pilgrim/#respondSun, 28 Jul 2019 13:58:28 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=47049Travelling for Ḥajj this year? Here's what you need to think about before you leave for the airport...

]]>Time and time again, questions are asked regarding a Ḥajj that was performed in one’s previous years. It was his first Ḥajj – the obligatory one – but wishes to repeat it. When asked about the reasons, such a person lists an array of matters that he fell short towards knowingly or unknowingly, sins that he wishes he had not committed during the first Ḥajj, or opportunities that he wished he had made better use of. However, such a request cannot be fulfilled, for if one fulfils his Ḥajj, having met the conditions, then it will count as his obligatory Ḥajj despite the shortcomings, and everything after it is voluntary.

We, however, wish not to be like this questioner who, upon returning from Ḥajj, finds himself harbouring more regret than hope. It is for this reason that I wish to offer myself, as well as those who are intending to embark on this life and afterlife changing experience this year or at some point in their lives, several bits of advice:

1 – Before you leave, force your heart towards the correct direction.

Interrogate yourself in an aggressively sincere manner by asking: “What do I really want from this Ḥajj?”. Is it honestly Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) and the Home of the Hereafter? Or are there traces of insincere grime still latching on? Is it so that Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) praises you for being a pilgrim, or is it so that people say “such and such has performed Ḥajj a staggering x amount of times? Makkah is a place that has been visited by millions since time in memorial, and many of them have been, just like you, praised for their Ḥajj and enjoyed such a reputation for a certain amount of time, but now that they have become the dwellers of the soil, how have those words helped them in any way?

Many will carry out Ḥajj this year, millions in fact, but will every one of them walk away with the prize that they apparently came for? Imām Ibn al-Qayyim said:

“Two men may be standing next to one another in the same line for prayer, but in reality, the difference between them is like that of the Heavens and Earth.” [1]

We will all wear the same clothes, visit the same sites, and experience fatigue like one another. But in Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s Eyes, we are so different because of intentions that are invisible to us. On that note, are there signs of sincerity? There are many, but I will mention just one for now as it relates directly to our topic of Ḥajj.

Imām Ibn Rajab mentioned the story of a man from the past who used to embark on the journey of Ḥajj every year on foot. On one night whilst he was asleep, his mother requested from him a cup of water. He found himself very lazy, not finding the enthusiasm to get out of bed and bring his mother a cup of water. Here, he paused and reflected on how he found the eagerness to embark on Ḥajj yearly by foot but failed when it came to serving his mother, who was metres away. He realised that what was giving him the energy to carry out his yearly Ḥajj was the praise of people. This, therefore, became the beginning of his Islamic awakening. [2]

The fact that we find the willpower to travel across the other side of the globe and endure the hardship of Ḥajj, but we remain unmotivated to go across the road to pray ṣalāh al-ʿIshā’ in jamāʿah or to wake up on time for ṣalāh al-Fajr is a very worrying sign. This is why some of our predecessors said:

“Perhaps he purchased his camel for 500 dirhams, and a saddle for 200 dirhams, and a mattress for such and such dirhams, then mounted his ride, combed his hair, admiring himself.”[3]

This is why ʿUmar b. al-Khattāb (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said:

الحاج قليل، والركب كثير

“The travellers for Ḥajj are so many, but the true doers of Ḥajj are so few.” [4]

2 – Your money could not have been spent on a worthier cause.

Before you make the decision to embark on Ḥajj and as you make the transfer of cash, and even after you do so, Shayṭān will be whispering. Putting aside the exploitation of governments, opportunist tour operators, or their likes, I remind about you as a financer for your Ḥajj. Every penny you spend will be compensated by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) and will be seen on the Day of Judgement, thus, will allow your heart to rest.

Success is not about returning home and priding yourself about how you “only spent such and such amount of money” for the duration of the travel. This journey is not about saving money, it is about spending it on your Hereafter. I mention this as the questions that pilgrims pose indicate a different motive; an eager desire to save. He says, “I want to do both ʿboth ʿUmrah and Ḥajj”, so one responds with “you can engage in the tamattuʿ format of Ḥajj or qirān, both of which include Ḥajj and ʿUmrah”. He says, “No, I want to do ʿUmrah after Ḥajj”. You ask him why and he replies that it is due to the hadī (the sacrificial animal). He wishes to avoid it. This is not the mentality of someone who wishes to ransom himself from hell and earn Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s love.

Consider these three sentences found in Sūrat al-Baqarah and keep them before your very eyes in the face of every opportunity in Makkah to spend on your Hereafter.

The first sentence:

وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِأَنْفُسِكُمْ

“And whatever good you spend is for your yourselves…”

Whether the amount is small or large, you are actually treating yourself and so make an effort in being kind to it.

The second sentence:

وَمَا تُنْفِقُونَ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّهِ

“And you do not spend but to seek Allāh’s pleasure…”

Therefore, do not wait for people to offer you thanks and express appreciation. Some may argue that they have been the one spending on them throughout the entire duration of the journey yet have not heard a single word of thanks. Sheikh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah said that those who do good to people via their wealth but await recognition and thanks have excluded themselves from the verse where Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) said:

“And whatever good things you spend shall be paid back to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.”[7]

A reassurance from Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), The Most Rich, who knows just how much reassurance we stingy humans can need. All that you spend will find its way back to you, thus in the wake of every chance that presents itself to spend for your Hereafter, do not think twice; keep these three sentences in mind and watch how you will spend in confidence, contentment, inner peace, and excitement.

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)’s Ḥajj was the qirān format, whilst other scholars have argued that it was in fact in the ifrād format. If we were to work with the second opinion, he was not obligated to give any sacrificial animals. Despite this, he sacrificed 100 camels. Does our behaviour reflect this, or do we search through the list of sacrificial animals until we arrive at the cheapest option?

3 – Be more concerned with the quality of your worship than its quantity.

Who is greater in the eyes of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)? Is it one who is a pilgrim on a yearly basis but upon arriving, searches for every possible shortcut and simply cannot wait to throw it all behind him? Or is it one who barely has enough money to catch a bus ticket, let alone a flight for Ḥajj, but observes the pilgrims on TV as pain rips his heart apart and cries his eyes out, wishing to be with them? Who is dearer to al-Raḥmān?

“He is the One who created death and life in order to test you which of you will be best in deed…”[8]

Notice how “most in deed” was not mentioned in the āyah, but “best in deed”

You will be amazed at the 21st-century express-versions of Ḥajj where some arrive at the very last hour of the day of ʿArafah, sitting at the very edge of its boundaries. Then, after sunset, they go back their hotels. Is this the Ḥajj that Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) wants? What about Muzdalifah? He says, “I can compensate for it by giving a sacrifice”. What about the nights in Mina? He says, “I can compensate for it by giving a sacrifice”. What about the pelting of the stones? Again, he says, “I can compensate for it by giving a sacrifice”

So what is left for him? Well, all that is left is tawāf and saʿi. So he remains within the comfort of his hotel room or home city and returns back for tawāf and saʿi when the congestion has lessened, and that is the end of his Ḥajj. He did not shed a sweat, he did not fatigue in the least, and was not exposed to a single particle of dust, and then says, “Alḥamdulillāh, I do Ḥajj every year.” Is this a Ḥajj worthy of being proud of?

Consider two āyāt from Sūrat al-Kahf – one from the beginning and one from the end – both of which set out the conditions for an accepted act of worship:

The ten nights, according to the majority of scholars, are in reference to the first ten days of the month of Dhul Ḥijjah where the rites of Ḥajj happen. The “even” is in reference to the 10th day of Dhul Ḥijjah – Yawm al-Naḥr – whilst the “odd” is in reference to the ninth day – the day of ʿArafah.

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

ما من أيامٍ العملُ أحبُّ إلى اللهِ فيهِنَّ من هذه الأيامِ

“There are no days in the year wherein Allāh loves the doing of good deeds within them than these days.” [12]

“There are no days in the year wherein Allāh frees more people from the fire than the day of ʿArafah. On that day, Allāh draws near and praises them to the angels, saying: ‘What do they want?’” [13]

And he said:

خير الدعاء دعاء يوم عرفة

“The greatest duʿā’ that one can make is the duʿā’ on the day of ʿArafah.”[14]

Imām Ibn al-Qayyim and others have argued that the first 10 days of Dhul Ḥijjah are in fact greater than the last ten days of Ramaḍān, whilst the last ten nights of Ramaḍān are greater than the first ten nights of Dhul Ḥijjah. However, if one was to argue that these ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah are greater than the last ten days andnights of Ramaḍān – with the exception to Laylat al-Qadr – such an opinion would not be considered erroneous. That is because Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) took an oath on the nights of the first ten of Dhul Ḥijjah. Despite all of this, you find that these 10 days of Dhul Ḥijjah are severely underappreciated when compared to the last 10 nights of Ramaḍān.

Not only has the greatness of time and place come together during these days, but the greatness of worship; Ḥajj. In fact, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said to his wife, ʿĀishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanha):

It is for these reasons that those who had realised all of this would race to fulfil their Ḥajj time and time again, despite their circumstances of travel being far harsher than ours today, as they travelled by foot or animal in a state fully exposed to the sun and other harm. Consider:

Makki b. Ibrāhīm al-Handhali who performed Ḥajj 50 times.

Jaʿfar al-Khawwās who performed Ḥajj around 60 times.

Bukayr b. ʿAtīq who performed Ḥajj 60 times.

ʿAlī b. al-Muwaffaq who performed Ḥajj 70 times.

ʿAtā who performed Ḥajj 70 times.

Abū ʿAbdillāhi al-Maqarri who performed Ḥajj 97 times.

As for those who performed Ḥajj around the 40-time mark, only Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) knows of their number.

One of our predecessors, Bishr b. Muḥammad, said:

“During my tawāf, I came across an old man who was clearly fatigued, leaning on a stick and doing tawāf around the Kaʿbah. I asked him about which country he had come from, to which he replied, ‘Khorāsān (greater Persia).’

The old man then asked me, ‘How long does it take you to get here?’

I responded, ‘Two or three months.’

He said, ‘Then you should be doing Ḥajj every year.’

So, I asked him: ‘How long does it take you to get here?’

He said, ‘Five years. I left my country for Makkah without a single grey hair in my head and beard.’” [16]

“We did Ḥajj with al-Awzāʿī and I do not remember seeing him resting on his side during any hour of the day or night. He would pray until he would be overcome by sleep. At that point, he would lean on a stick.” [17]

Furthermore, Ibn Abī Shaybah – a scholar of ḥadīth – has given a chapter within his work al-Musannaf the following title:

“Chapter: The narrations of those who encouraged the visitors of Makkah to complete the recitation of the whole Qur’ān before they leave.”

Try not to complain of “arriving early. It is still day four, five, or six” etc. At this moment in time and place, you could not be doing anything greater than what you are in, as Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned that the greatest actions of worship are those deeds that suit the situation that one is in. Thus, when a guest arrives to one’s house, the greatest deed one can carry out is attending to the guest. Similarly, the best deed one can carry out during the season of Ḥajj are the actions that are linked to Ḥajj So, remain enthusiastic as the greatness of time, place, and worship have all come together.

5 – Set yourself a target of al-Ḥajj al-Mabrūr

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

من حج، فلم يرفث ولم يفسق، رجع كيوم ولدته أمه‏

“Whoever performs Ḥajj and does not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commits sin, then he returns from Ḥajj as pure and free from sins as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him.”[18]

“Carrying out one ʿUmrah after another is a means of erasing the sins in between them, and the reward for a Ḥajj that is mabrūr (accepted) is none other than Jannah.”[19]

Set your eyes on this as your goal – a Ḥajj that is mabrūr. However, to qualify ourselves for such a magnificent prize, a magnificent Ḥajj must be what we offer Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) – one that is free from backstabbing, excessive complaining, treacherous glances, time-wasting – and when you feel that you are on the verge of slipping, remember the Ḥajj ethic of those before us in route to a mabrūrḤajj.

Anas b. Mālik (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) entered into a state of Ḥajj and his companions said:

“I saw the two companions, ʿAbdullāhi b. ʿUmar and ʿAbdillāhi b. ʿAbbās, circumambulating around the Kaʿbah. They were so serene and humble that it was as if birds were sat on their heads.”[22]

ʿAtā (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) also said:

طفت وراء ابن عمر وابن عباس فلم أسمع أحداً منهما يتكلم في الطواف

“I did tawāf behind ‘Abdullahi b. ‘Umar and ‘Abdillahi b. ‘Abbas and I did not hear either of them utter a single word (i.e. with the exception to the remembrance of Allāh).”[23]

Such hard work comes as no surprise, for they were fully aware of what a mabrūrḤajj entailed. As for many of us, Ḥajj is a time to unveil the selfie stick, to stream ‘live feeds from Makkah’, and to carefully choose the most religiously scenic backdrops for the Instagram uploads. Wherever you look, you cannot help but notice the never-ending posing, flashes, videoing, and snapping. Is this the state of ikhbāt (humility) that reflects the heart of a pilgrim who fears his sins and is desperate for a clean slate?

A sign that your Ḥajj is mabrūr is that you will see a change in yourself when you return – a change of heart, change of mind, change in manners, change in priorities, change in purpose, change of how you spend your weekends and spare time, change in sleeping patterns and hours of wakefulness. An accepted Ḥajj changes everything.

You arrive back to your home having realised that your Ḥajj was about an agreement that you had made with Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) – a promise that you shall die as a Muslim, that you shall dedicate your life to Him, and that it will never be the same way again.

6 – Your reward will be proportional to your effort.

Hardship, as Imām al-Shāṭibī and others have stated, is not to be sought in of itself nor does the Sharīʿah make it an objective. What this heading refers to are the hardships that come about by themselves without one seeking it. Ḥajj is, according to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), a form of jihād, and so whoever makes the trip expecting it to be a holiday has made a mistake.

The pilgrim is to prepare himself to be challenged physically and mentally. You may, at times, not find a mattress to sleep on. At other times, food may run out before you get your portion or it may be cold. You may get ill; your car may break down; you may be stuck in a bus for several hours and AC breaks down. You may arrive at Muzdalifah and the space allocated for your group has been taken by someone else. You may arrive at Mina late and all the good spots have been taken. Well, assuming that you need to sleep on a rock, it really is not about what you enjoy in Ḥajj, it is about what you go home with.

“The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) performed Ḥajj on an old saddle, wearing a cloak that was worth four dirham or less. Then he said: ‘O Allah, a Ḥajj in which there is no showing off nor reputation sought.’”[25]

In fact, Anas b. Mālik (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrated:

حدث أن رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – حج على رحل وكانت زاملتَه

“That the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) carried out Ḥajj on an animal that was carrying his belongings as well.”[26]

In other words, he did not opt for comfort. Whilst others would prefer to dedicate an animal as their ride and another for their luggage, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) – from his humbleness – used one animal for both.

“I was travelling once with Ibn ʿUmar for Ḥajj when we saw some fellow travellers from Yemen. Their saddles (on camels) were of leather and their reins were made out of hair (i.e. very primitive equipment). He said: ‘If anyone would like to see people most resembling the companions of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) during the farewell pilgrimage he should see them.”[27]

Comfort, clean clothes, ease and convenience are not objectives of Ḥajj. Al-Mundhirī titles a chapter in his work, al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb:

“The encouragement of being humble in Ḥajj and to be dishevelled, whilst wearing lesser quality clothes in imitation of the prophets.”

The requests that are made to tour operators are, at times, beyond belief. “Can I have my own tent in ʿArafah?” “What type of bedding do you provide in the hotels – American or Italian?” “Are the toilets fully ceramic?” “Do you provide swimming facilities?” “Do you provide private healthcare?” “What varieties of salads will you provide?” “Do you provide guards who can accompany me during my stoning of the jamarāt?”

With the advent of modern-day transport, remember the many thousands before you failed to reach the destination that you will have now arrived at. How many tears have been shed; how many travellers were robbed of their possessions; how many families were separated; and how many lives were claimed by land or sea without ever getting a chance to cast a glance at the Kaʿbah? The stories, in this regard, are beyond count, with narrations of those who just about made it and narrations of those who were buried in the attempt.

One of these stories is that of a well-known Sheikh from West Africa, Sheikh Uthman Daabo from Gambia. He once spoke to his friends, reminding them how Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has given them wellbeing, yet they have not responded to the call of Prophet Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām) where, after he finished building the Kaʿbah, he called upon humanity to fulfil their Ḥajj. Sheikh Uthman, therefore, decided to embark on the journey with four of his friends. For the majority of the journey, they walked, only riding a handful of times. They would stop at certain cities where they would find jobs to help finance their journey, then they would proceed and so on. They left their homes with only enough food for only one week despite it being a journey that would end up lasting two years.

The pains, anguish, and horrors that they experienced, as Sheikh Uthman said, are not truly known to anyone but Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), for how many nights did they spend in a state of near-death starvation? How many nights were they pursued by wild animals costing them much-needed sleep? How many nights did they find themselves running away from highway robbers?

Sheikh ‘Uthman said, “On one night, I was stung by a scorpion and fevered severely because of it. The pain was so intense that I was up the entire night and felt that I could smell death running through my veins. My friends would go for work whilst I would remain next to a tree until they would return in the evening.

At that moment, I became very weak and Shayṭān’s whisperings intensified, as he said to me ‘Why didn’t you stay home? Why did you put yourself in this hardship whilst Ḥajj was not even an obligation upon you?’

My soul felt very heavy and was on the verge of breaking. When my friends returned, one of them looked at me and asked me how I was. I turned away from him, trying to hide my feelings, but he saw the tears in my eyes.

He understood my pain, so he said to me, ‘Get up, do wuḍū’ and pray two units of ṣalāh.’ I did just that and felt that Allāh had renewed my strength and placed ease in my heart.”

Dear brothers and sisters, three of his four friends died during the journey, the last of them being consumed by the Red Sea. The Sheikh said:

“When our third friend died, I was struck with overwhelming grief and feared that I too would die before I arrive at al-Masjid al-Ḥarām. I was counting down the days and hours eagerly. We arrived at Jeddah, I fell severely ill and believed that this would be the end. I read out my will to those with me and instructed them that, if I were to die, to dress me in my iḥrām clothing and to bring my corpse as close as possible to Makkah, perhaps Allāh may increase my reward and accept me as a pilgrim.” [28]

He continued: “We remained in Jeddah for a few days and then continued our journey to Makkah. My excitement was mounting, the joy from my face was unmissable and the yearning to see the Kaʿbah was shaking me, until we finally arrived at the House of Allāh.”

At this point, Sheikh ‘Uthman – who narrates this incident – went quiet and broke down into heavy weeping. After wiping away the tears, he took an oath by Allāh’s name that he has never experienced a greater pleasure like the pleasure of that moment when his eyes finally fell upon the Kaʿbah.

He said: “When I saw it, I fell on my face in prostration in thanks to Allāh and cried in awe like the crying of a child.”

If and when the hardships of Ḥajj seem unbearable, this is a story to bear in mind along with the principle that states, “Your reward will be directly proportionate to your effort and spending.”

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/six-considerations-for-every-pilgrim/feed/04704939C…and the Extraordinary Secrets of Lowering the Gazehttps://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/39cand-the-extraordinary-secrets-of-lowering-the-gaze/
https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/39cand-the-extraordinary-secrets-of-lowering-the-gaze/#respondWed, 24 Jul 2019 23:58:29 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=46957Today could see unprecedented temperatures, maybe up to 39C in the South-East. And despite expert heat warnings, many will be encouraged to greet the soaring heat onto their bared flesh. With such a reality, today, we must renew our commitment, not only to protecting our eyes from the burning heat but our very hearts…

]]>Today could see unprecedented temperatures, maybe up to 39C in the South-East.[1] And despite expert heat warnings, [2] many will be encouraged to greet the soaring heat onto their bared flesh. With such a reality, today, we must renew our commitment, not only to protecting our eyes from the burning heat but our very hearts…

Our two eyes weigh less than 30 grams each, yet are made up of more than 200 million working parts, and serve a function that around half of the brain is dedicated to. According to Discover Eye Foundation, our eyes process more than 36,000 pieces of information every hour. [3] In fact, it is said that an entire eye is one of the only limbs that cannot be transplanted; since there are more than one million nerve fibres connecting it to the brain, it is impossible to reconstruct.

Sight is our most cherished sense without competition, and alone, it provides us with 80% of the information we grasp from the environment around us. [4]

When something is loved like none other, such that nothing besides it is desired by the heart, it is “cherished like the apple of my eye” or, as in Arabic, ”qurat ʿayny”. It commands your attention, it “captures your eye”, and when it is surprising, “you cannot believe your eyes”. Its endless idioms and figurative expressions point to the extent of our attachment to them.

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

“Allāh said, ‘If I deprive my slave of his two beloved things (i.e., his eyes) and he remains patient, I will let him enter Paradise in compensation for them.” [5]

We begin life in our mother’s wombs visionless, before we are gifted the indispensable tool only weeks into our embryonic development ‘free of charge’. Then, they are wrapped with the toughest skin in our entire bodies, and then programmed to blink instinctively more than four million times a year to keep them functional.

As if that were not enough, we are then promised Paradise, should we be deprived of them later on in life. SubḥanAllāh, no amount of gratitude can even begin recompensing such a gift. Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) says:

“Allāh brought you out of your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing at all, and gave you hearing, sight and hearts so that perhaps you would show thanks.”[6]

‘Showing thanks’ could never repay the gift of vision, whilst showing no thanks does not come close to displaying the extent of such a person’s gracelessness. Imagine, then, the condition of those eyes intently committed to precisely what the Giver asked that they be protected from:

“Say to the believers that they should lower their eyes and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Allāh is aware of what they do.” [7]

Imagine being gifted a phone with extraordinary software capabilities – a mirror-fine retina display and unrivalled processing power – only to use it as a permanently fixed footstool to reach a corded, dysfunctional landline. We would rightly call this insanity.

Similarly, the command to restrict our eyes from immediate lusts and sin – the attractions of the opposite sex – beyond it being a display of obedience to the Giver, is not merely deprivation. If it was simply about ‘restrictions’ and ‘prohibitions’ from what is desired to see around us, then why do our eyes have the power to see galaxies as far as two million lightyears away?

An Opening to the Heart

As a matter of fact, our eyes are the most immediate entry point to our hearts, and they have a powerful influence over our thoughts, emotion, and inner well-being. The instant availability of vision at the lifting of an eye-lid makes us overlook that an aperture to the heart has been opened. Apparently, the eye is the only limb in the body that does not even require a period of ‘warm-up’ to become fully functional.

‘Love (in the heart) at first sight’ is often branded as a ‘cute’ concept, but if you think about it, it is rather frightening. One glance means your heart is potentially enchanted; your wealth, blood, and sweat are committed to someone, and your future is completely tied up.

Sheikh al-Islām, Ibn Taymiyyah, says:

“Vision is one of the ways in which the heart is corrupted, our predecessors used to say: ‘vision is an arrow of poison to the heart.’” [8]

Our eyes are incomparably complex and, according to research, they come second only to the complexity of our brains. Such a sensitive and critical function could not have been given without due instruction on how to use it.

Let us reflect on the āyah quoted above. It is an instruction to lower the gaze, and then there is another instructing us to guard the “private parts”. The first restricts what is taken in and the second protects one’s physical faculties, an intuitively recognised association, encapsulated eloquently by the Arabic couplet:

“A look, then a smile, a nod of the head, then talk, a handshake, a promise, then the warmth of a bed.”

The glance needs only be trivialised for a person to move on to step two, and likewise, until one begins pondering, wishing, and then aiming. His mind becomes clouded, whilst his heart becomes drenched and drunk. Before long, his destiny and bodily governance is transferred to the private parts.

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

“The adultery of the eye is the lustful look and the adultery of the ears is listening and the adultery of the tongue is immodest speech and the adultery of the hand is the lustful grip and the adultery of the feet is to walk (to the place where he intends to commit adultery) and the heart yearns and desires, and the private parts put this into effect or reject it.” [9]

The Heart: The First Victim

What exactly is meant by a glance ‘entering the heart’ and what impact does it have? Besides leading to the habituation of glancing and that which follows, what other effects can be expected?

Ibn al-Qayyim has a lengthy analysis of the effect of that ‘glance’ and of lowering the gaze.

“Glancing (at what is impermissible) splits apart one’s heart and takes it away from Allāh. Nothing is worse than this for a slave, because it alienates the slave from his Lord.”

A lack of organised thinking, aimlessness, a constant and irritating sense of guilt and regret at being unable to satisfy the desire the eye has soaked in is a feeling common to many.

Then, he says:

“Lowering the gaze blocks the Shayṭān from entering the heart, for he enters through vision… models and decorates the image of what that person gazed at, then he promises him and makes him hopeful…”

Of finding fortune with that stunning singer, the heroine in that movie or series, or the ‘hot’ actor, alongside 50 million other viewers hoping for the same. The heart is now occupied, and it cannot see anything else.

…igniting the fire of desire in the heart and fuelling it with sin.” It burns and with it only being fed with fuel, it obliterates everything around it.”

He continues:

“…so his heart fills with scattered thoughts, and his matters become disorganised… and he becomes unmindful of Allāh. [It is about such a person that] Allāh says: ‘And do not obey someone whose heart We have made neglectful of Our remembrance and who follows his own whims and desires and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.’” [10]

He thinks of her in ṣalāh, when in the gatherings of dhikr, everywhere. He continues:

“…and if the eye is corrupted, the heart is corrupted and (eventually) becomes like a dustbin full of filth and trash, therefore one (a heart) that will not accommodate Allāh’s love, His closeness or happiness…”

It is wretched and miserable, for nothing satisfies it but that shy smile, those soft giggles, and those late-night texts. She is now the furthest extent of his or her ‘vision’, he or she sees nothing but the girl or the boy and is captured by glances that have collectively seized the heart. Then Ibn al-Qayyim quotes the words of al-Hasan al-Basri:

“If they clatter along on their mules, or race on top of their horses, the humiliation of sin never leaves them. Allāh insists on disgracing those who sin against Him.”[11]

‘Drunk’, not by alcohol down the throat, but by glances entering the eye and reaching the heart. Recall the story of Qais b. al Mulawwah, known as ‘Majnūn Layla’, or ‘Layla’s mad lover’. He was a poet who lived in the time of Marwan b. al-Hakam and was infatuated by a girl called Layla, except that her family refused to marry her to him. In his couplets, he wrote

“None but those who have experienced infatuated love (‘Ishq) know the true meaning of depression…And not all of those who claim they are in love are really in love…

I pass by the home of Layla, kissing this wall and that wall…For it is not the love of the home that has captured my heart, but the love of those residing within it!

And there is none in the earth more wretched than a man in love… even if he finds that his whims taste sweet… you see him crying all of the time, fearing separation or yearn.”

A Heart of ‘Light’ and Another of ‘Darkness’

Our eyes capture our bright surroundings through more than 100 million light sensitive cells Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) has placed in them.1 A different type of light, however, finds its way into the heart. So many verses and Prophetic aḥadīth point to the illuminated heart and the darkened one, and having established the inseparable link between the eye and the heart, how do we marry between the two forms of light; spiritual and physical?

What is interesting is that ‘lowering the gaze’ is essentially shading the eyes from the physically luminous lusts for the sake Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), or preventing that ‘light’ from entering them.

Therefore, by the dictates of the universal concept that ‘you reap what you sow’, or ‘al jazā’ min jins al ʿamal’, discussed in another article, it is no coincidence, according to Ibn al-Qayyim that the verse about lowering the gaze mentioned above occurs in Sūrat al-Nūr, the Chapter of Light.

In return for lowering the gaze or ‘basar’, a believer is given a luminous heart, a ‘basīrah’, with which he vividly sees truth from falsehood, or a type of intuition. Just four verses after this instruction we read:

“Allāh is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The metaphor of His Light (meaning in the heart of a believer) is that of a lantern in which is a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, the glass like a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree…” [12]

With this light a believer sees guidance clearly, and his path to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) brightly, and, according to Ibn al-Qayyim:

“If the heart illuminates, goodness comes to it from everywhere, likewise if it darkens, the waves of tribulation and evil come to it; including whatever you want of innovation, misguidance, following of whims, refraining from guidance and the causes of happiness… becoming like the one blind loitering in extreme darkness. It is the essence of blindness. It is not eyes that go blind but the hearts in their breasts that go blind.” [11]

The eye then concurs with that illuminating heart until it begins to see more than just reflected light, but also the deeper reality of matters.

It acquires an increased ‘insight’, ‘farāsah’, gifted by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). This gift manifests in one’s life, enabling the person to see the reality of matters, become less naïve or susceptible to falling into mistakes, and more aware of trials, deception, and opportunities before they become clear to others.

The obscurity of this concept should not open way to mystical exploitation but, in essence, this ability is palpably connected to lowering the gaze according to Ibn al-Qayyim and others. It is inconceivable that the visual capability of those who lower their gaze be the same as those who do not. The most evident manifestation of farāsah is in the lives of the companions. ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) used to say about his father:

“I have never heard ʿUmar saying about something, ‘I think it is as such and such’, except that it occurs (exactly) as he suspected.” [13]

Anas (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) mentions that he once entered upon ʿUthmān (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) after having just mused at the beauty of a passing woman. ʿUthmān (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said: “One of you has entered and zinā is clear in his eyes.”

So, I said: “Is there revelation after the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)?’

With the most hidden matters becoming visible to those who protect their glances, the opposite must hold true. Allow your mind to ponder and wonder as to why so many people simply fail to see flagrant realities. Why, for instance ‘Priori’, ‘First Cause’, ‘Design’, ‘Infinite Regression’, and other such philosophical and logical reasoning is needed in today’s day and age to prove something as clear as God’s existence and other such matters.

Why, for instance, at the End of Times, droves of people will follow the one-eyed liar, the ‘Antichrist’ or Dajjāl, despite him being one-eyed, being a cripple, and hosting the unmistakable letters Ka Fa Ra (disbeliever) across the width of his forehead.

“He is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead are the letters Ka Fa Ra.”[15]

What makes it so confusing and what is it that requires the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) to turn our attention to such an ‘observable’ reality? Clearly, in that time of potent confusion, and in our current days of confusion and theological challenge, our vision needs need more than just light dependant cells. Dear reader, protect your ability to see right from wrong by protecting your eyes from sin to the best of your ability.

As Though You can see Him

It is said that our eyes are driven by the most active muscle in the human body. Intently capturing that lustful ‘glance’ from ‘under the radar’ is an act that is hardly discernible by those around us. This is why such a glance is referred to in the Qur’ān as the eyes’ deceit!

“It refers to the man who enters the household of another and in it is a beautiful woman, or they walk beside him and she is amongst them. As soon as they stop noticing (him) he looks at her, when they notice (him) he lowers his gaze, when they stop noticing he looks…”[17]

The act of lowering the gaze is very secret. No one, save Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) and you, know, for example, what you spend your time watching at home.

We do recognise that it is through the eyes that love enters the heart and whilst we can recommend marriage, fasting, exercise, and other powerful aids to block out the entry of illicit love, ultimately it is the thought of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s watchfulness that will divert our gaze.

If seeing objects of lust fills the heart with love for them, it is worshipping Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) as though you can see Him, as the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) taught us, that will envelop the heart with His love. For a heart that yearns for Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s intimacy will close its door in front of every other competitor.

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/39cand-the-extraordinary-secrets-of-lowering-the-gaze/feed/046957Saudi Jeddah Fest: The Desperate Face of Liberalismhttps://www.islam21c.com/current-affairs/saudi-jeddah-fest-the-desperate-face-of-liberalism/
https://www.islam21c.com/current-affairs/saudi-jeddah-fest-the-desperate-face-of-liberalism/#commentsMon, 08 Jul 2019 17:03:30 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=46317"Those seeking to 'liberalise' the country have become neither stately custodians of Islām, nor paraders of the political systems of Liberalism. They sway between the two and belong to neither."

]]>The last couple of Ramaḍān days in 2018 coincided with the beginning of the World Cup in Sochi, Russia. Kicking off the tournament was the Saudi Arabian football team, who, along with its coaches and fans, was given the green light to break their fast, en masse. [1]

Besides the rightness or wrongness of eating for the sake of what would have, in a recent era, been regarded as a futile pastime, the stakes were set for a revitalised win. Awkwardly, they were crushed 5-0 by an unhopeful Russia, to which some on social media began sneering: “They neither ended up fasting with the believers nor playing like the disbelievers.”

Fast forward a year and we hear that a rapper, known for her “typically revealing outfits and explicit lyrics”, according to a BBC [2] reference I have chosen to omit, will perform at the Jeddah World Fest on 18th July. It is scheduled to be the largest live music festival in the heartland of Islām and will take place just 50 miles from the House of Allāh, the Kaʿbah, running into the sacred month of Dhul Ḥijjah when millions will visit the Sacred House, announcing, “we are here, Allāh, we are here.”

Though the fest’s organisers (at whatever political level) think they have done well in showcasing an aesthetic, liberal face, their cajoling the West is still failing in hugely embarrassing ways. The billions of dollars of petrol money have done little to bribe the West’s silence over the premeditated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, war crimes committed in Yemen, and numerous human rights violations. Even with the moral and financial beg-friending, television exposés of gulf-ruling families that divulge seriously shameful revelations, on public BBC television, are becoming routine. [3]

“But Allāh is mocking them, and drawing them on, as they wander blindly in their excessive insolence.” [4]

Conversely, and quite ironically, the self-respecting advocates of philosophies are very different to those recognised in the West: those who are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia are still held in higher esteem, in the West and continue to be seen as ‘people of principle’ and victims of expression and personal conscience. [5][6]

In other words, much like the encounter with Russia, those seeking to ‘liberalise’ the country have become neither stately custodians of Islām, nor paraders of proper Western liberalism or its political systems, and thus, they sway between the two and belong to neither.

“[They, the hypocrites, are] swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those; and he whom Allāh sends astray, you will not find for him a way [to the truth – Islām].” [7]

Let us discuss this further. For starters, the Jeddah Fest misfits only got their ‘freedom’ to corrupt when they barred the liberty of others to speak out against them and incarcerated scholars and activists. To be honest, this is a general conundrum that all forms of muscular liberalism around the world suffer from: “You can do and say what you want, so long as you do and say what I want”.

These desperate displays of ‘liberty’ are thus clumsy because they are oxymoronic, built on repressing voices of reason and religiosity. Political Theorist Professor John Dunn, in fact, notes autocracy as a component of the antithesis of liberalism. [8]

Secondly, why is it that sexual promiscuity is always the only thing the Gulf brandishes when showcasing their path to ‘reform’? Seriously, which dullard decided that the path to civilizational reform must start with bikini beaches, [9] dozens of new cinemas, [10] and pop concerts? [11][12] Liberalists, at best, see these things as ‘entertainment’ after a busy day of civil service where such activities do not take place.

In fact, John Locke, the so-called ‘Founding Father of Liberalism’, outlines in his 1690’s foundational thoughts on a liberal society, the Two Treatises of Government, that legitimate governments are only those that have the consent of the people. Are we allowed to ask if this founding tenet of liberal political theory will be on the agenda of the Gulf’s drive to liberalism? [13] Will the ragdolls being used to showcase Saudi Arabia’s new ‘liberal’ face be demanding their democratic voice when electing a government, or just be photographs at ‘belote’ betting games for its gawky-named General Entertainment Authority? [14]

Thirdly, Western liberalism, for all its flaws, is supposed to be a vehicle, not an objective. Being a liberal does not automatically make you impressive, but rather, exercising your liberty to do good is what makes you good. In laymen’s terms, ‘pimping around’ at exposed festivals, even by liberal standards, makes you a playboy just as taking the liberty to overdrink makes you a drunkard.

The buffoons signing up to this gig are, in fact, being forcibly shaped into the exclusively sexual manifestation of ‘liberation’ that the facilitators recognise. Having been convinced ‘reform’ means inaugurating the filthy industry, they have become like national mannequins, leaving passers-by perplexed at why they are entirely undressed. By this, they are neither succeeding in following the ‘etiquettes of liberalism’ – if there ever were any – nor the virtues of their original identity as pure, honourable Muslims.

It is a shame and it wrenches the heart that the ‘Land of Tawḥīd’ and ‘Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries’ is allowing itself to head in this direction. This is not denying the colossal amount of scholarship, modesty, and virtue that remains. Muslims across the world, however, expect better representation from whom they have historically and naturally wanted to confer the custodianship of Islām to.

In a statement attributed to ʿAlī (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), he says: “Truth is not known by men. Know the truth, you will know the men upon it.” No doubt with an honest knowledge of Islām, we will unsurprisingly look for alternative role-models.

Muslims in the West simply find no inspiration in godlessness and carnalism. They not only see these things everywhere but see that they have not done any favours to their proponents. If anything, Western non-Muslims admire Muslims for being able to serve the opposite. The two have failed to bring contentment to the West, let alone underpin ‘reform’ efforts in Muslim heartlands, chasing ends those that have reached them are running away from! But it is as Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) says:

“…If you turn away, He will replace you with a people other than yourselves and they will not be like you.” [15]

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/current-affairs/saudi-jeddah-fest-the-desperate-face-of-liberalism/feed/346317Allāh is His Protectorhttps://www.islam21c.com/texts/allah-is-his-protector/
https://www.islam21c.com/texts/allah-is-his-protector/#respondFri, 28 Jun 2019 17:54:53 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=46013"But if you cooperate against him - then indeed Allah is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants..."

Āyah 4

If you two [Ḥafsah and ʿĀ’ishah] repent to Allāh, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated. But if you cooperate against him – then indeed Allāh is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants.

Lesson 8: The student of knowledge must strive hard in his/her pursuit

The great scholar and companion, ʿAbd Allāh b. al-ʿAbbās (Ibn ʿAbbās), was keen to know from a scholarly perspective, who the two being told to make tawbah (sincere repentenace) in this Āyah were. He knew that it was ʿUmar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) who had this knowledge, but he was not sure how best to ask this question. He knew that after the completion of Ḥajj, a believer returns feeling very relaxed and at rest, so he decided to accompany him on this pilgrimage.

Ibn ʿAbbās narrates:

“For the whole year I had the desire to ask ʿUmar b. al-Khattāb regarding the explanation of a verse [in Surah al-Tahrīm] but I could not ask him because I respected him very much. When he went to perform Hajj, I too went along with him. On our return, while we were still on the way home, ʿUmar went aside to answer the call of nature by the Arak trees. I waited till he finished and then I proceeded with him and asked him: ‘O chief of the Believers! Who were the two wives of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) who aided one another against him?’ He said, ‘They were Ḥafsah and ʿĀ’ishah.’ Then I said to him, “By Allāh, I wanted to ask you about this a year ago, but I could not do so owing to my respect for you.”[1]

This provides a strong example of the etiquette of a student of knowledge, in terms of striving long, hard, and being eager, to seek knowledge. Ibn ʿAbbās was only seeking the answer for one question, yet he travelled a long distance, completed Ḥajj and thereafter, waited for the perfect moment to ask for the answer.

Lesson 9: The effects of our sins

Although the incident being referred to was seemingly committed (by the wives) against the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), Allāh tells Ḥafsah and ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhumā) to repent to Him, highlighting an important lesson: wronging the creation of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) is tantamount to wronging Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) Himself. This is because wronging an individual is a transgression of the God-given rights that Allāh has bestowed upon the creation, and thus Tawbah (sincere repentance) to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) is required, as well as seeking forgiveness from those we have wronged.

Secondly, we learn that all sins we commit, knowingly or unknowingly, have an impact on our hearts and our relationship with Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā); even if these sins are regarding the rights of other people. For every sin that is committed, a black dot is placed on our hearts, which creates a barrier for the love of Allāh flourishing within them. As was narrated, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

“When the believer commits sin, a black spot appears on his heart. If he repents and gives up that sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart will be polished. But if [the sin] increases, [the black spot] increases. That is the Rān that Allāh mentions in His Book: ‘Nay! But on their hearts is the Rān [covering of sins and evil deeds] of that which they used to earn.[2]’”.[3]

“But if you cooperate against him – then indeed Allāh is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants.”

The verse continues, warning that if they chose not to repent, then indeed “huwa mawlah” (He is his protecting friend). The emphasis on the term “He is” shows that first and foremost, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) is on his side. In addition to this, Gabriel (Jibrīl), the righteous believers and the angels are all on his side too, demonstrating specific examples of how Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) manifests His protection of His beloved Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

The order in which the protectors and supporters are mentioned is particularly noteworthy: Jibrīl (ʿalayhi al-Salām), then the righteous believers and then the angels. Jibrīl (ʿalayhi al-Salām) is first because his relationship with the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is unique, in comparison to the relationship between the rest of the angels and the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam). Jibrīl (ʿalayhi al-Salām) is the greatest of angels – the one who revealed the greatest of all revelations to the greatest of all of creation – thus, making his relationship with the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) particularly special.

The ‘righteous believers’, according to ʿIkrimah b. Abi Jahl, refers to Abu Bakr and ʿUmar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhumā), who were not only two of the greatest men of our Ummah, but interestingly the fathers of both ʿĀ’ishah and Ḥafsah. This shows that they would side with the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) before their own daughters.

Finally, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) mentions that the rest of the angels will also be his supporters, which, when you consider the sheer number in existence, not only makes someone shy to commit any minor wrong against him—as is the case here—but creates a tremendous and frightening image for anyone who dares oppose the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and be his enemy. In the narration regarding the Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isrā‘ wa al–Mi’rāj), the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

“Then I was shown al-Bait al-Ma’mūr. I asked Gabriel about it and he said, ‘This is al-Bait al-Ma’mūr where 70,000 angels perform prayers daily and when they leave, they never return to it [but always a fresh batch comes into it daily]’.” [4]

“I see what you do not see and hear what you do not hear. The heavens make a noise like groaning, and it has the right to, for there is no space in it, the width of four fingers, except that there is an angel there, placing his forehead in Sujūd (prostration) to Allāh.”[5]

The fact that these angels, in all their magnitude, are mentioned last, implies that all the ones mentioned prior are even stronger in their protection, exponentially amplifying the intimidating image created for anyone who opposes the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

In the next part, we will move on to the next two verses, and study some of the qualities of the perfect spouse, and the call to protect ourselves (and our families) from the Fire.

]]>There is a popular line in J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls which acts as a kind of summing up of all that was wrong with the Birling family and their mistreatment of the young Eva Smith, around whom the play is centred: “What happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide. A chain of events.” The moralistic teaching of the Inspector, Inspector Goole, who visits the family home, sets him up against capitalists Mr and Mrs Birling and younger members of the household in that his teachings and directives offset their sentiments of wanton disregard and indifference towards the suffering and tragedy of Eva Smith. In the play, Eva had committed suicide due to a sequence of failings she encountered from each member of the Birling family. Each had abused, taken advantage of, turned away, and disregarded her until she resorted to suicide. The Inspector comes to inform them of the tragedy and to alert them to the dismal roles they each played in her death.

In May 2019, Noa Pothoven [1] stopped eating and drinking. On June 2 2019, she was pronounced dead. The young girl had been hospitalised multiple times due to several suicide attempts and had spoken of her battle with PTSD as a result of sexual abuse, rape, and anorexia. She chose to end her life due to what she described as an unbearable suffering.

The rape and sexual abuse of a child, Noa Pothoven, was a monstrous atrocity, a trampling on her weakness and vulnerability, and a complete disregard for the trauma and travesty such an assault would leave on its victim. Pothoven attributed her agonising suffering to horrific sexual abuse she had experienced first as an 11-year-old and then due to a rape by two men at the age of 14. This suffering was furthered by severe anorexia, leading at one point to near organ failure. She suffered from post-traumatic stress in the wake of the sex attacks and spoke of “humiliating” and “degrading” experiences she had had to confront. One cannot but sympathise with Pothoven for what she had undergone and none of us can fully understand her trauma. Trauma can leave its ugly mark differently on people and we must try and understand first the tragedy left on Pothoven herself.

“Certainly among people there are those who are tested and those who are preserved. So have mercy on those who are tested and praise Allāh for your preservation.” [2]

Contrary to early media speculation, Pothoven’s death was not the result of legal euthanasia but of voluntary suicide. Pothoven spoke and wrote about youth mental health care and was a tireless advocate. It is important for us to try and better understand her suicide and the situations that can sometimes seem to engulf us in life. What outlook and remedy does Islām provide for some of our darkest and hardest moments?

The Consequences of our Actions

Firstly, in light of the injustice that led to Pothoven’s state of depression, we are reminded that the Qur’ān teaches that the things we do in this life will not only have a consequence on our eternal fate in the next, but that our actions have a determinable effect on the lives of others in this life and the way such actions are intended and carried out will also weigh considerably on our eternal judgement. The Qur’ān informs us that sins not only have consequences on those who carry them out but also on those who witness then, who are affected by them, who are inspired by them, partake in them, and refuse to prevent them.

Maintaining Good Conduct

Secondly, the Qur’ān calls to maintain good conduct with others, to be mindful of one’s speech, to be warned of rage, of extremes, to be warned of injustice, oppression, and cruelty. It cites examples of persons and people who had displayed arrogance, had oppressed others, who had defrauded others, and had done so with a feeling of utter impunity – for which they were punished. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), in a ḥadīth which bespeaks the severity of being mindless of the rights of others and of levelling cruelty onto others, once witnessed Abū Masʿūd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) beating a slave of his. Abū Masʿūd explains:

“I was beating a slave of mine when I heard a voice behind me, ‘Know, Abū Masʿūd, that Allāh is more powerful over you than you are over this boy.’

I turned around and there was the Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace. I said, ‘Messenger of Allāh, he is free for the sake of Allāh!’

He said, ‘If you had not done that, the Fire would have touched you (or the Fire would have burned you).’” [3]

Protecting the Innocent

One of the early verses in the Qur’ān concerned the crime of burying baby girls alive. In a scene depicting the Day of Judgement, the Qur’ān describes:

وَإِذَا ٱلۡمَوۡءُ ۥدَةُ سُٮِٕلَتۡ * بِأَىِّ ذَنۢبٍ۬ قُتِلَتۡ

“And when the girl-child that was buried alive is made to ask. For what crime she had been slain.”[4]

The verse draws attention to atrocities committed against innocents, those unable to defend and protect themselves, so that on the Day of Judgement wrongs and injustices will be requited and the guilty shall be brought forth to answer for their crimes. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) spoke of the care and compassion due unto animals, that a woman was met with punishment for imprisoning a cat and refusing it food, nor affording it the chance to catch its own food.

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “A woman entered the (Hell) Fire because of a cat which she had tied, neither giving it food nor setting it free to eat from the vermin of the earth.” [5]

The Qur’ān stresses that the infirm, children, orphans, widows, and strangers are to be protected and honoured, that their wealth protected and that a general air of mercy should encompass all social dealings with others:

“Freeing a neck, or the feeding, upon a day of [one’s own] hunger, of an orphan near of kin, or of a needy [stranger] lying in the dust, and being, withal, of those who have attained to faith, and who enjoin upon one another patience in adversity, and enjoin upon one another compassion. Such are they that have attained to righteousness.” [6]

Empathy for the Suffering of Others

As we consider the plight of Noa Pothoven and the tragedy of loss and pain left in her passing, we are alerted to the great need of showing empathy for the suffering of others. Empathy is a very important Islamic attribute – to feel for another. Understanding the life experiences and motivations of another can provide us with much clarity about another’s way of thinking, insecurities, fears, and joys. This is shown beautifully in Sūrah al-Ḍuḥa in which the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), having undergone unease at the six-month delay in revelation was met with the revelation of a new, hope-inspiring chapter. The chapter consoles the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), reminding him of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s favours upon him and also reminding him of the promise of a better future. The sūrah stands out for a people beset with anxieties, uncertainties, and depression:

“By the morning hours; by the moon when it is stillest. Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee.” [7]

Upon reminding the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) that Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) had indeed provided him succour, shelter, and provision, what follows are instructions about how others should be treated. The empathy bearing is in relation to what the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) experienced as a young man. That personal circumstances of poverty or loneliness can be understood in relation to how others are to be perceived and treated imparts unto us the importance of having a broad field of cognitive and compassionate vision with respect to our relations with others:

“Did He not find you (O Muḥammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge? And He found you unaware (of the Qur’ān, its legal laws, and Prophethood, etc.) and guided you? And He found you poor, and made you rich (self-sufficient with self-contentment, etc.). Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression, And repulse not the beggar; and proclaim the Grace of your Lord.” [8]

Imām al-Qurtubi explains the injunctions to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) as an instruction for him to treat others in relation to a recalling of events he underwent in his own life as a young man:

“When Allāh says, ‘Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression’, it means ‘remember when you were an orphan’.

And when Allāh says, ‘And repulse not the beggar’, it means ‘remember when you were poor’.” [9]

Considering the Fate of Others

For each and every one of us, life is an alternating between states, of ease and of difficulty – requiring gratitude and necessitating patience. Some human beings find themselves as victims of war, suffering the tragic loss of family members and loved ones. Some are victims of rape, of torture, and of horrendous abuse in prisons. Some have lived through the most gruelling of circumstances and have survived to tell the tales. As difficult as our plights might be, looking outwards and considering the fate of others can help us make sense of our own suffering, draw us to empathise with others, and most importantly remind us of the favours and blessings we still enjoy in life:

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said:

“Look at those who are beneath you and do not look at those who are above you, for it is more suitable that you should not consider as less the blessing of Allah.” [11]

Auschwitz survivor Viktor Frankl recounts in his memoir, Man’s Search for Meaning, how those who had hope to return to something survived their experiences, and those who had lost all hope were the quickest to die – in that their bodies could not put up defences to try and cope, withstand, and persevere. For them, there was nothing left to live for. In Sūrah Yūsuf, we are presented the life of a child who was betrayed by his siblings, abandoned in a well, separated from his father for decades, isolated in a foreign land, ensnared by a seductress, imprisoned for a crime he did not commit until he grew, became strong and independent, was valued and relied upon, and until his siblings reconciled with him and his father found joy in the reunion of all his children. Though difficulties are sometimes extremely gruelling, Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) engenders man with a remarkable spirit of tenacity and perseverance, and with a reminder that no suffering will be left without recompense:

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allāh expiates some of his sins for that.” [12]

There is something particularly haunting about Noa Pothoven’s suicide. We feel an added layer of sympathy for a young girl whose emotional state would have fluctuated wildly through adolescence as she struggled with her emotions. Would she have encountered moments of hope, of inner strength? We would not know. Her mother once said, however: “We didn’t get it. Noa is sweet, beautiful, smart, social and always cheerful. How is it possible that she wants to die?” Whatever might have happened in those tragic final days of Pothoven was known to her and known to the One who created her, but we must promote life and hope and resilience and the belief in a better tomorrow. No two days are the same in the life of the son of Ādam. Our yesterdays are not entirely like our todays and nor should we assume that our todays will replicate our tomorrows. Life is in flux and sometimes things can rapidly change, offsetting a negative emotion or life circumstance. What is required on our part is hope, faith, and some resolve to keep ploughing.

Avoiding ‘Falseness’ and Self-Advertisement

Finally, in the passing of Pothoven, there was something self-advertising about her suicide, something so expected in our world of social media and reality TV. In her Instagram post, Pothoven had said that she would stop eating and that she expected to die within 10 days. Sometimes we become the main characters of our shows and the camera creates a culture of celebrity – even in the advertising of one’s own death. Pothoven informed us all of what she intended to do and so there was something self-advertising about her suicide in the way she broadcasted what she was going to do and why she was going to do it. Images become our means, we become illusionists and a ‘falseness’ seems to pervade the air.

Reciting the Qur’ān

Believers are encouraged to recite the Qur’ān in times of despondency – to examine their lives in the greater frame of human existence, to find strength in the stories of previous Prophets (ʿalayhim al-Salām) and so that the divine words serve as a form of healing. In his moment of intense despair Prophet Yāʿqub (ʿalayhi al-Salām), still grieving the loss of his son, Yūsuf (ʿalayhi al-Salām), was informed by his children that his ‘other son’, the younger Binyāmīn had been kept back in Egypt. The moment was climactic. How would the ageing father, who had known that his sons had been deceptive in the initial news they produced about Yūsuf (ʿalayhi al-Salām), now cope with the news that another of his sons had disappeared? The response is remarkable:

“[Hence,] O my sons, go forth and try to obtain some tidings of Joseph and his brother; and do not lose hope of God’s life-giving mercy: verily, none but people who deny the truth can ever lose hope of God’s life-giving mercy.” [13]

The father reminded his sons not to lose hope in Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā), to remain optimistic in spite of the bleakness of what things looked like and most crucially – of what confronted the father. One would have perhaps expected the sons, guilty of the first betrayal of Yūsuf and their father (ʿalayhima al-Salām), to console their father with such reassuring words but the words are their father’s. A lesson from the many other lessons is that Iman provides a great sense of succour in even the bleakest times and in reminding others of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s great favours there is a self-comforting and healing.

May Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) heal our hearts and minds, and may we remember to use the duʿā’s that He has given us. Āmīn.

O Allāh, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You. [14]

]]>https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/the-suicide-of-dutch-girl-noa-pothoven-and-finding-light-in-our-darkest-moments/feed/245941President Morsi: “Our Brother, Our Martyr”https://www.islam21c.com/politics/president-morsi-our-brother-our-martyr/
https://www.islam21c.com/politics/president-morsi-our-brother-our-martyr/#commentsMon, 17 Jun 2019 20:12:34 +0000https://www.islam21c.com/?p=45424The first and last elected President of Egypt, who answered the cries of Egypt's impoverished, Syria, and Palestine, returns to the Court of Justice, standing in the courts of tyranny. Raḥimahu Allāhu.

President Mohamed Morsi (raḥimahu Allāhu) was a President like none other: the first and last democratically elected in Egypt’s known history; A ḥāfiẓ of the Book of Allāh, the husband of a ḥāfiẓah and the father of five ḥufāẓ; [1] a leader, and a representative of the deep-rooted, profound Muslim Brotherhood organisation that emblematises decades of Islamic Scholarship, humanitarian work, and unparalleled political organisation. The group was Egypt’s unsung backbone, running 1000 Non-Governmental Organisations and developing intuitions for the poor and destitute.

With the participation of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood organised the masses and achieved Egypt’s most peaceful transition from a wedged military tyranny to Parliamentary Democracy. The rocket scientist by trade would go on to triumph in five consecutive elections: the 2011 constitutional referendum; the 2011 to 2012 People’s Assembly vote; the 2012 Upper House of Parliament, the 2012 Presidential Election; and the referendum on the new constitution.

Despite President Morsi ruling Egypt on the lowest paid salary for a President in the world himself, he managed to increase agricultural exports increased by 20%, he reduced the Central Bank’s deficit reduced by 45%, and he raised economic growth to 2.4%. [1] Amidst perpetual protests and targeted character assassination, his administration transformed Egypt into the much-desired civil state.

It was President Morsi who answered the cries of the Syrians, severing Egypt’s ties with the bloody regime and exclaiming to all hearers – “We hear your call, Syria” – and supported its revolution. [1] Who can forget when Morsi stifled ‘Israel’s’ war on Gaza in 2012 on-par another massacre, [1] withdrawing Egypt’s ambassador to the Zionist entity. Ask the 2300 people who were killed in Gaza in 2014, or the 10,000 wounded during what the coup regime did one year after Morsi was overthrown.

2013 saw one of history’s worst crackdowns on pro-democracy activists. President Morsi was deposed, and him, along with hundreds of leaders in the Muslim Brotherhood and thousands of activists were incarcerated and trialled under the most derisory accusations. The six-year-long trial swung between jail and death sentences whilst Morsi stood defiant, upright, and smart behind a glass window, but never conceding his position as Egypt’s highest authority.

Other than the 3000 of those who were killed parading in his support, a fraction of the 13.2 million who waited under the sun to cast their votes, tens of thousands of his supporters were detained under forged charges and scores were assassinated in the bloody military crackdown that continues today. Unfortunately, this was much to the silence of the international community that instead recognised the despot, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, inviting him to economic forums and prestigious dinners, and bolstering him with hundreds of billions of petrol money.

“It is not befitting for a leader to follow concessions… all praise is due to Allāh, I strived 15 years for martyrdom…[moments before his execution he said] this finger that declares the oneness of Allāh in ṣalāh refuses to write a letter in recognition of this tyrant’s authority.” [2]

During a ‘court’ hearing on the 17th of June, 2019, President Mohamed Morsi collapsed and returned to his lord. Morsi and his family indicated to the ‘court’ that there was an imminent danger to his life due to a prevailing medical condition towards the beginning of May. The ‘court’, however, ignored his pleas. [3]

Mohamed Morsi was an icon of patience and perseverance against oppression, tyranny and the thugs of injustice. He was an icon of struggle and daʿwah to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) in his youth whilst in the United States. Having returned with intents to revolutionise Egypt’s ailing industry, he was battered by military pawns and pseudo regimes. [1] Morsi is, today, a martyr of injustice, and has returned to his Lord whilst standing in the face of tyranny:

“The leader of the martyrs is Hamzah b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and a man who stood up before a tyrant and enjoined good and forbade evil, and he killed him.”

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) informed us:

“Everyone will be raised in the condition in which he dies.”

President Morsi died whilst being trialled unjustly and will, by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s leave, be resurrected standing in front of the tyrants paid to level counterfeit accusations at him. His adversaries will not be able to go far. Who will be jeering then when the tables turn and they are the ones facing Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā)’s Court? Whilst President Morsi’s days in dark, dreary dungeons are replaced with everlasting palaces and gardens of delight, he will see his oppressors, maybe glimpse the once tyrant standing to hear the verdict in the Court of Allāh – “They will come forth, with humbled eyes…” [4] – the angels, the Prosecutors, his limbs, his witnesses, and Allāh the Judge. This is the final decree and the sweetest retribution.

The companion of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), Haram b. Milhān, only declared, “I have won by the Lord of the Kaʿbah,” after the spear was plunged into his body whilst on his journey to teach the Qur’ān. [4] The believer of Yā Sīn, ‘Ḥabīb al-Najjār’ saw nothing of a ‘worldly positive result’ but was promised Paradise at the instant he was martyred. [4] Today, Morsi (raḥimahu Allāhu) joins them.

“And do not think Allāh to be heedless of what the unjust do; He only respites them to a day on which the eyes shall be fixedly open.” [5]